Heir Of Slytherin Book 2: Revelations
by Elektra Elentari
Summary: It's time for Danny's second year at Hogwarts and he can say he's looking quite forward to it. He and his friends now have to try to solve the mystery of the Prophecy, hoping that it will tell them how to defeat Tolfazor. But Danny's dorm mate James has been on his mind since last year and he think something's weird about him.
1. A Letter From Janet

**First of all, you can see that I keep my promises. This _was_ the next story I published, so I wasn't lying. But I can explain why it took so long. Our internet broke. That's right, I had to live for so long with no internet connection and I am not lying, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! But I didn't. So now I can post this story. I know the first book didn't get a very good response, but I thought, 'Fuck it, this took me two years to write, I will post the entire series and I don't care what they think!' So, finally, you now have the second book in the Heir Of Slytherin series and even if you hate it, I don't care! I will write until all seven are done. Sorry about that, it's the withdrawal (from internet). Enjoy!**

I woke up because of my owl, Azriel, pecking my face with his beak. I groaned and opened my eyes, seeing his face and blue eyes staring at me right in my own ones. "What's wrong, Az?" I asked him, still half asleep. He turned his head in the direction of a small window near my bed. The window is the only one in my room. I knew why Azriel was upset, I hadn't let him out in two days and he must be incredibly bored by now. But living in an apartment, so close to other people, they might see him and ask questions. It wasn't me who thought of that, though.

I looked at the clock and it was 10 am. What was he doing up so early anyway? Probably hoping I'd let him outside. "I'll let you out when she's gone," I promised him "Okay, buddy?" Azriel just hooted and flew over to the top of my closet.

I got out of bed and ran my fingers through my hair to tame it a bit. I walked into the kitchen still dressed in my pyjamas and saw my aunt making breakfast there.

Yes, my aunt.

The aunt who had abandoned me years ago after my parents died. I had had no intention of even looking for that woman, I wanted her gone from my life. But once again, my best friend Mel had beat me to it after showing me that I was a wizard last September.

* * *

 _I thought that I was going to be staying at Mel since I went with her and her parents to their car. I wondered why they had a car if they were wizards, probably to blend in with the Muggles._

 _Her dad drove us to a block of flats only five minutes away from the station. I was surprised, thinking that this is where they lived. Judging by the way Mel had described the place to be, I had imagined it would be something like a palace. So now that I saw this I wondered if we were actually there._

" _We'll only be a minute, dad," Mel told her father as she opened the car door. "Come on, Danny," she told me when she saw me not moving._

 _I took my seatbelt off and followed her out of the vehicle, closing the door._

 _She walked up to the main door and rang the doorbell. Some seconds later we heard the buzzer and she pushed the door open. She was really confident, walking inside like she lived there, but I was a bit more hesitant. I didn't know why we were here, I didn't know who lived here and I kind of didn't want to go here._

 _We went up the stairs to the third floor and she stopped in front of a door. She turned around and looked at me. "Look," she said nervously "You might hate me for a second when you see who lives here, but you need to trust me. Can you do that?"_

 _I could. She had brought me to the wizarding world, even though my friends Janet Morcroff had introduced me to it properly. But I guess I could trust Mel concerning the mystery person who lived here._

" _Sure," I answered._

 _She nodded and knocked on the door. We waited for a few seconds until I saw the door beginning to open. I didn't know who I was expecting to see, but it most certainly wasn't my aunt Demetra._

 _I was stunned, like someone had cursed me. I couldn't move, I couldn't talk… I could barely even breathe. What was she doing here? I think that deep inside I knew exactly why Mel had brought me here, I just didn't want to accept it._

 _Aunt Demetra seemed as uneasy as I was, but in a different sense. I was angry, she was anxious._

" _Hello, Daniel," she said._

" _Danny," I corrected her, but she didn't really understand what I meant._

" _What?" she asked._

" _It's Danny," I explained "They call me Danny now, but you wouldn't know because you just left me outside that orphanage nine years ago."_

 _She looked down embarrassed. It was obvious that she regretted it, but at the moment it didn't matter at all to me. Because of her I had been through Hell the past years. If she had kept me, I would have not only known I was a wizard, but also wouldn't have gone through all that bullying._

" _I'm sorry," she said._

" _So now you're sorry?" I screamed "Do you understand what you did?"_

" _Danny, calm down," Mel intervened._

" _No, Mel," I rejected her help "I'm sick of this! She left me and now you expect me to go back to her?"_

" _Danny I'm not saying that she did the right thing," Mel said, giving my aunt a side eye "But you have to move on from that. This will help both of you."_

" _And what are you, our guidance counsellor?" I yelled at her._

" _No, I am your friend," she said "And this wasn't my decision. Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore thought that it would be a good idea."_

 _I sighed. I didn't want others controlling my life anymore. Mel had kept my magic a secret from me and I had been so pissed at her because of it. I forgave her eventually, but I hadn't wanted anything like that to happen again. And McGonagall had been someone I trusted, why was_ she _doing this now?_

 _I tried to forget my anger and not let it get the best of me. I had to think clearly. I inhaled and exhaled._

" _I'm not forgiving you," I told my aunt "But I don't have anywhere else to stay all summer. I will try, and I repeat_ try _to give you a second chance. But I won't be the perfect nephew, I'll be however I am and won't try to be a gentleman. You'd better prove to me that you can handle it."_

 _She nodded._

" _Great!" Mel said happily "I'll go get your trunk from the car."_

 _She ran down the stairs and was back up in zero time. I tried not to look at aunt Demetra while she was gone. But I could feel her eyes on me._

 _Luckily Mel was back fast. We put my trunk in a room my aunt had prepared for me and then I hugged Mel goodbye and wished her a good summer. "Don't forget to write to me," she said as she squished me into a hug._

" _I won't," I promised._

* * *

We had exchanged a couple of letters since then. She was currently in Venice, lucky girl, with her family. They were overjoyed to be reunited with her again.

I think I need to explain some stuff. So, here's the thing. I grew up in the orphanage where my aunt left me and Mel was my best friend there. Her parents had sent her there to help me, even if they didn't know why exactly they had to. Only three people knew, my mother and father and a wizard named Albus Dumbledore. What they knew was that I am the descendant of one of the most powerful wizards of all time, Salazar Slytherin.

Most people would probably think that that's great or awesome, but it's really not. Out of all my friends, only two of my closest ones know, and that's only because they found out and told me. It comes with a lot of responsibilities. For example, I have to defeat the dark wizard Ahriman Tolfazor.

He was one of the hard core blood purists back in the day, even before Voldemort, and Slytherin's enemy. Slytherin swore to defeat him, even if it was merely one his descendants. So for now the clues pointed to me. Yay!

On the subject of blood purity, I really don't get it. Mel and our other friend Teddy both say that everyone is the same, but shouldn't it be different? The way my friends from my House taught me, some wizards are basically better than others. I can't say that I don't agree. If someone has had magic in his blood for years, it's only normal that he's better than some Mudblood. Mudbloods are wizards born to Muggle parents. Muggle are people without magic. A bit like aunt Demetra, only that she's a Squib, a Muggle born to a wizard family.

So the whole concept of having to destroy a blood purist is quite strange, considering I don't disagree with their ideas. But it was meant to be my destiny, so there's not much I can do.

So last year Mel swooped me off into this mysterious train and took me all the way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a school for people like me. We had a bit of an argument and didn't talk for months until I finally worked up the courage to talk to her again. Honestly, best decision I've made in my life so far.

My other friends include Teddy Lupin, the third person in our gang and a Hufflepuff, Janet Morcroff, my closest Slytherin friend, Zaria her friend, Danus and Marius, my roommates and Dominic, one of Danus' old childhood friends. Most of them are from Slytherin. I don't know many Gryffindors apart from Mel, and no Ravenclaws. Teddy's Hufflepuff friends are quite nice though.

Last year ended with me technically breaking into to the Ministry of Magic with Teddy's uncle, Harry Potter, and stealing a Prophecy about me. The Prophecy had been our main goal last year and it was great to finally have it. Only with one slight problem… it made no sense.

Even with all three of us working together, Mel, Teddy and I couldn't understand what the Prophecy meant. It goes like this.

 _The darkness isn't over, the worst it coming… Only one can stop it, the one we least expect. Only when the four unite and with the power of the serpent can the Heir destroy the darkness. It should be where it all started, on the night it all started. He will question right and wrong, but he will save us all. Beware, the darkness is coming._

Who thought of this? Why couldn't Seers explain things a little better than that?

So that was my first year at Hogwarts summed up, now let's go back to the present time. We're in the kitchen and my aunt is making breakfast. And by breakfast I mean toast.

"Sleep well?" she asked me when she saw me.

"Azriel woke me up again," I said, the incident of my owl waking me up in the morning wasn't uncommon "I think he wants to go outside."

"Danny," aunt Demetra said with a tone that indicated that she was bored of telling me this every day "You have to understand that some people might not like having an owl live here. If they report us for having an illegal pet and we get kicked out, where will we live?"

She had a point, I had to admit. But I was still letting Az out when she was away. "Whatever," I mumbled as I grabbed a plate and went over to the toaster, grabbing a piece. I put it on the table and took a glass to pour some pumpkin juice. I opened the fridge and looked for it but couldn't find it. Pumpkin juice was one of the few things that reminded me of magic in our apartment and that's why it's not allowed to be gone.

"We're out of pumpkin juice," I complained, slamming the fridge door shut. I should really stop doing that, it's too loud for after waking up.

"Why don't you have your friends come over later today?" my aunt proposed.

"Mel's in Venice and Teddy wants to spend time with his family," I said. Both of them had come over a few times and we tried to think of ways to solve the riddle of the Prophecy, but I didn't want to disturb them anymore. They deserved some time with their families too.

As we were having breakfast, a huge barn owl came swooping in through an open window. Azriel was ecstatic. They started flying around over our heads together and squawking at each other. It was a real headache.

"Ugh, Az, stop!" I yelled. Luckily he listened to me and flew down, perched on the back of my chair. The other owl landed on the table right in front of me. A letter was tied to its foot.

"Danny," aunt Demetra said in a warning tone "What did I say about owls?"

"It's only delivering a letter," I said, getting up. I grabbed the jar of owl treats and gave one to the barn owl who hooted happily. I then gave on to Azriel too because he looked annoyed that I had left him out.

The owl I didn't know stuck its foot out and I untied the letter. I looked at the envelope and was delighted to see that it was from Janet. I opened it.

 _Danny,_

 _I hope you've been having a good summer. I was thinking that you could come over to our place. I haven't seen you in a while and I heard that you're stuck in the Muggle world. Consider it a favour._

 _Please reply and let me know. If the answer is yes then my father will come and pick you up tomorrow before 12.00._

 _Janet._

"Who's it from?" aunt Demetra asked.

"A friend," I answered and went to my room where I had my quills and ink to write a reply telling her that I would love to come.

I then tied it to Azriel's foot. "Here's your chance to get out," I told him "Janet's owl will show you the way. You follow her, okay? I told Janet to keep you until I go."

He hooted and I pet his head before Janet's owl flew out of the window. He followed him and I watched them fly into the distance.

 **Voila. Hope you liked it. If you did, be sure to review, follow or favourite so I know you're enjoying it. I will see you next week. Bye, guys!**


	2. The Morcroffs' Manor

**I promise updates will be weekly, but I'm incredibly busy, so I can't guarantee that it will be the same day every week like it has been so far. I am very busy with cram school and homework. It's my last year in school and I am incredibly stressed out with the exams I will have to get into university and have started lessons from now to prepare myself. But the other day in my Latin class (language not dancing), we learned the word 'imperium' which means power/authority and all I could think about was the Imperius Curse. Anyway, thanks DSCWin for reviewing.**

I had my stuff ready for when Janet's father came. It was a little lonely the past day without Azriel to keep me company, but I couldn't wait to see Janet again. I had never been to her house, never even heard her talk about it. I had also never met her parents. Her father worked in the Ministry, that I knew, but I didn't know anything about her mother.

"Are you ready?" aunt Demetra asked me for the tenth time this morning. Or was it the twelfth? I'd lost count.

"Yes," I said and rolled my eyes.

"I'm only trying to help," she said "I take it you don't want to come back so you'd better have all your things with you for school."

That was true. I didn't want to have to come back to our dingy apartment just to take something that I had left behind by accident. It would way more wizard-like if I went to King's Cross with Janet and her family who were all purebloods. Also I hated where we lived, it was too small.

At o' clock exactly Janet's father appeared in our living room. He had ice blue eyes just like his daughter, but unlike her his hair was brown. His posture was so perfect that it seemed like he had been practising how to hold himself up like that for years. He was dressed in smart black robes and shining shoes.

"You must be Danny," he said to me.

"Yes sir," I answered, not sure how I should address him. He seemed stern and at the moment nothing like Janet.

"Have you got your luggage ready?" he asked.

Instead of saying something I motioned to my trunk.

"Perfect," he commented "Now come, we are going to apparate."

At least I knew what to do in this situation. Wizards can't apparate unless they are over 17 and have their licence, so if someone younger than that wanted to apparate, they had to hold onto someone who could and would travel with them. I had only apparated once before, with Teddy's godfather, Harry, and the feeling was more than unpleasant.

I said goodbye to my aunt who was waiting for us to leave. She smiled in return and I took Mr. Morcroff's arm. I felt the familiar feeling of being pressed into a tube.

The next second we were inside a huge place. Remember when I said that I had never been to Janet's house? Scratch that. It's more like I've never been to her _palace_.

The living room, where we were standing now, alone was huge! The walls were a dark colour which was a bit creepy, but other than that it was great. Of course they didn't have any Muggle things, like a TV, but they had a huge wall worth of books.

"Janet," Mr. Morcroff yelled "Your friend is here."

Just a few moments later I saw Janet running down the stairs and into the living room. She looked quite different from what I was used to, but maybe that was because I had only ever seen her in her Hogwarts robes. Her blond hair wasn't a ponytail like last year, instead she had it tied up in a bun. She still had her fringe falling down her face though. She was dressed in a white shirt, but a dark red jumper hid most of it except the collar. She had a black skirt on as well as black shoes.

Janet is so beautiful and I have to admit that I kind of have a crush on her. Not in the sense that I don't want to be friends with her unless we're dating, she's a great friend, but I do have a small crush on her.

"Hi Danny," she said happily, hugging me the second she reached me.

"Good to see you too," I said in reply.

"Come on," she said "I'll show you where you can leave your stuff."

She took me up the stairs and showed me to the room I would be staying in. It had a high ceiling with a freaking chandelier. A real chandelier just in this one room, which happened to be the guest bedroom. So some random person who decides to come to their house gets it all to himself. I should visit more often. There was a queen size bed in the middle and so much furniture that I was glad the room was so big or it wouldn't fit inside.

And waiting for me was Azriel, perched on top of the closet. "Hey boy," I greeted him and he flew down. I ran my fingers through the feathers on his head.

After getting my stuff settled in, Janet and I caught up with each other's news from the holidays so far. Zaria had sent her a letter saying that she was in Russia again. Zaria was part Russian and I remember that last year she hadn't been able to stay with us for the Christmas holidays because they had been planning to go to Russia with her forever when she started Hogwarts, because then she could finally be able to use magic around all the family.

I didn't think it would be a good idea to tell Janet about Teddy and Mel because she hated them, so I just told her about my holidays. As much as I could, that is. I couldn't tell her that I was trying to solve a Prophecy, I told her about the Muggle world instead.

Danus and Marius weren't really talking to anyone, but our source, Dominic, said that they had met up with him a few times and were currently both staying with Marius and his family.

And then I learned something very interesting. Janet has an older sister named Sabrina who was at Hogwarts last year as a seventh year. She now had a job at the Ministry working with their father. For some strange reason Janet had never mentioned Sabrina before. When I asked her why, she just shrugged and said that it just never came up.

So I guessed that they didn't have the best relationship. Either that or she just hadn't come up.

A matter of seconds later I would realise that it was the latter.

Janet's bedroom door swung open and a girl with blue eyes and blond hair that looked just like Janet will in a few years ran in. "Janie you won't believe it!" she screamed with excitement "My new record just arrived in the post!"

"That's great," Janet said, even though it was obvious she didn't care all that much.

"And who's this?" the other girl, I'm pretty sure that she is the famous Sabrina, asked "Your boyfriend?" She whispered the last part as if I wouldn't hear it. But I did and blushed.

"No," Janet said, blushing a bit herself "That's Danny, a friend from school."

"Oh _you're_ Danny," Sabrina said "I've heard so much about you. I'm Sabrina."

"Hi," I said and we shook hands "Um… I haven't heard much about you."

She laughed. "Yes," she said "My dear sister tends to forget to mention me at times."

"Not that you're better," Janet commented.

"That is… sadly true," Sabrina said.

I laughed. I liked her. She was quite a cool older sister. This got me thinking that none of these two girls had inherited their father's dark hair and that they were way too cheerful to be that man's daughters. You know, the normal stuff people think about when they meet their best friend's sister.

"Janie," Sabrina asked her sister "How much do you trust Danny?"

That was an awkward thing to ask her, especially since I was still in the room.

"A lot," Janet answered.

"Enough to show him the collection?" Sabrina asked with excitement.

"Definitely enough to show him the collection," Janet said smiling.

"Great!" Sabrina exclaimed and grabbed our arms "To my bedroom."

It happened so fast I didn't realise we had just apparated. It didn't last very long this time, because we were just going to the room next door. "Give us a warning next time, will you Rina?" Janet complained as she tried to balance.

"Sorry," Sabrina apologised "I got too excited."

She pulled her wand out of her pocket and cast a spell to lock the door. I was getting a bit anxious now because why would she lock the door just to show me something? I was starting to think that maybe I didn't want to know what this collection was.

Sabrina walked over to a big bookshelf that was in her room. She aimed her wand at it and said, "Finite Incantatem." The bookshelf started to dissolve in front of my eyes and in its place now stood a door. She turned to face me.

"You have to swear to not tell our parents about what I'm about to show you," she warned me "I would make you make an Unbreakable Vow, but that's kind of harsh really."

I nodded and she pushed the door open. I immediately felt like I was walking into some old movie. It looked like a record store from what I've seen in the movies. The movies I watched at the orphanage or that Mel made me see, that is. There was even a record player. "Wow," I gasped. I reached out my hand to touch one, but then turned to Sabrina, asking for permission.

"Go for it," she said "But be careful."

I pulled one out of its place and studied it. It had a nice cover and all but then I saw the band name. Weren't they a Muggle band? Why was Janet's sister listening to Muggle bands? She must have noticed exactly that by the look of surprise on my face.

"One thing about Muggles," she said "They have great music. That's the only thing I'll give them"

Janet nodded, agreeing. Well maybe I should trust them. "And why is this a secret?" I asked.

"Have you met our parents?" Sabrina answered "They _despise_ Muggles. I am going straight out of the window if they find out. Literally."

That did make sense. I am sure that Mr. and Mrs Morcroff wouldn't like it if they knew that their daughter were listening to Muggle Music. "So how does it work?" I asked.

"We hide the room with some glamours," Janet explained "Lock the bedroom's door, go inside and put a silencing charm on the room. Then we pick a record and have a good time."

"We'll show you one of these days, don't you worry," Sabrina winked.

"I'll be looking forwards to it," I said.

I liked the Morcroff sisters. It was going to be a fun week here for sure!

 **Let me know what you think of the Morcroff family. Hope you like the story!**


	3. Diagon Alley

Sadly the girls didn't get to show me Sabrina's collection right then because their mother called us for lunch. I was excited to meet their mum and get to know Mr. Morcroff better. Maybe he wasn't really as terrifying as he seemed, but by what Janet and Sabrina told me he sounded petrifying.

The Manor had many floors, but the dining room and kitchen were on the third one. I imagined they were both pretty big rooms considering they took up a whole floor.

We went up the stairs, since their rooms were on the second floor, and were met by the sight of a huge indeed dining room. The table looked too small to be a part of the room, but they probably made it bigger if they had guests over. The chairs and the table were made of ebony and the walls were a dark colour. This house was really dark in many senses. The only light in the dining room came from the tall windows which had red curtains in front of them. A wall and door separated the dining room from the kitchen.

Mr. Morcroff had already taken his seat at the head of the table, Mrs Morcroff sitting on his right. I have to admit that I was mesmerised, she was one of the most beautiful women I've seen. Now I knew where Janet and Sabrina got their beauty. She had blond hair and blue green eyes. Her face suggested that she was quite younger than her husband, even though he probably wasn't that much older, by what the girls had told me. She was wearing a long black dress with long sleeves and a necklace with rubies, the Morcroff family's jewel.

We took our seats at the table. Sabrina sat across of her mother, on her father's left, and Janet sat down next to her. I didn't know where to sit, but I felt more comfortable with Janet so I sat next to her. Her father looked at me and it was such a stern look. I felt like he was thinking _'You're ruining the harmony of the table.'_

We didn't say anything until a house elf walked in carrying a tray. "Lunch is ready sirs and madams," she said.

"Thank you, Blinky," Mrs Morcroff said the house elf who smiled and placed the tray on the table.

"First you has soup," Binky said "Let Blinky know when you has finished."

On the tray were five bowls of hot soup. Hogwarts was pretty fancy, but this was another level of fancy. We ate all three courses that Blinky served us. Blinky was one of the two house elves the Morcroffs owned. She was the cook, while the other one, Patty, did the rest of the house work.

The rest of the day Janet gave me a tour of the house. The first floor was the living room, her father's study and the library. On the second floor there were all the bedrooms and the bathroom. The third one contained the kitchen and dining room and the fourth one was one big ballroom. Janet promised to teach me to dance one day. She had been taking lessons since she could walk.

We stayed up until 2am that night. Then I felt like I would collapse in her bed, so I all but crawled into my room and had just enough energy to change into my Slytherin pyjamas my friend Danus had gotten me and then climb into bed.

The next morning Blinky served us a big variety of breakfast, but only tea, no pumpkin juice. An owl flew in dropping two envelopes and then flying out again. It looked like it had learned not to stay here long. Personally I didn't find the Manor that unpleasant.

The letters were addressed to me and Janet and they were our supply letters. "It's weird not getting one of these anymore," Sabrina commented.

I opened mine and read it. It was a list of all the supplies I'd need for this year and Janet must have gotten the same one. Her parents said that we could go to Diagon Alley to get them on our own. That was awesome! The other option was to go with either them or Sabrina, but she said that she had plans. "With her boyfriend," Janet whispered to me, earning a kick under the table from her older sister.

Straight after another owl came in. This letter was addressed to both of us.

 _Dearest Danny and Janet,_

 _How swell that you would be together! As Dominic has probably told you already, Danus is also staying with me. We got our supply letters today and think it would be a good idea to catch up with each other. I have sent Dominic a letter as well to let him know. Let's meet at the Ice Cream Parlor at 11 o' clock._

 _Marius._

We replied letting them know that we were in.

At 10.55 we put our Slytherin robes on and via floo network made our way to Diagon Alley. We went to the Ice Cream Parlor and, to our joy, saw Dominic sitting there, waiting for us. Janet ran to him and hugged him.

"Hi," I said.

"Good to see you, guys," he replied, his voice deeper than it had been when we left school before the summer, it must have broken over these months, "Have you seen Danus or Marius?"

"Not yet," Janet told him, "But I'm sure they'll be here soon."

I nodded.

We started talking while waiting, sharing our news. At some point during the conversation we were having, both Dominic and Janet started staring intensely at the space behind me. I was wondering what could be so interesting about it. I turned around only to be met by two huge grey eyes.

I yelled in fright. I heard laughter. I looked up and sure enough, there stood my friend Danus. He was doubled over with laughter and Marius was right behind him. "Very funny," I said sarcastically.

"You. Should. Have. Seen. Your. Face!" Danus said while trying not to laugh at the same time.

"Next time I see you I'll make sure I look like a serial killer," I told him.

"Nah," he said shrugging, "I was going for more like a stalker look."

"You're insane," I said jokingly.

They took a seat at the table where we were sitting and ordered some ice creams. The service was faster than any Muggle place I've been to.

"So how has your guys' summer been?" Marius asked us.

"Pretty good," Dominic said, scooping a spoonful of ice cream, "We didn't travel anywhere, but some friends and family came over. Even Eridanus paid us a visit before he decided he liked Marius better."

"I've been to your oh-so-amazing tower every summer since I was born!" Danus objected, "It was about time I went somewhere different."

Dominic stuck his tongue out and him and ate some of his ice cream. "It was Edmund's birthday in June so we went away to celebrate that," Danus said, talking about his little brother Edmund who was starting at Hogwarts this year. I couldn't wait to meet him. Danus made him sound really nice.

After eating our ice creams, we went to 'Flourish and Blotts' for our books and supplies. Last year Mel had bought mine for me so I had never been to the bookshop. I was really excited to see what a wizard one would be like.

The second I set foot in there, I knew that I liked it. The shelves were all stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather, just like old books I had seen. Some of them were even the size of postage stamps in covers of silk.

Mel certainly loves this place. She is a real bookworm even though she wasn't that much of a studying person. She actually almost failed three of her exams. I still can't believe that _I_ was the reason she didn't, I'm not the best student alive.

It took us a while to find all of our books. Luckily Janet had been here before with her sister and knows the way around. I don't think we would have made it out alive without her. Maybe I'm overreacting, but we certainly owe her for not spending our entire day trapped in an awesome-but-still-not-ideal bookshop.

"How is Janet's place?" Marius asked me as we were searching for our Transfiguration books.

"Cool," I answered "Creepy but cool. It's the biggest place I've ever been after Hogwarts."

My friend took a book from the shelf and looked at it before giving it to me and taking another one for himself. "Your birthday is coming up too, isn't it?"

"Yeah September 1st," I reminded him.

"Hey guys!" he called out so that everyone else turned around to look at him "Party in our dorm for Danny's birthday."

"What about James?" I asked.

Danus, Marius I shared our dorm at Hogwarts with a quiet boy named James. The only reason I knew his name was because I had heard it during the Sorting Ceremony. He hadn't said a single thing to us and sometimes we didn't even know he was there until we saw him. He spent his days reading the textbooks for next years, in other words was a total nerd. I would much rather share a dorm with Danus, Marius and Dominic.

I did however have a small soft spot for James since I found out his mother had died when he was young, something I could relate too, having lost both my parents at the age of two. I don't know, maybe he's just shy.

"Oh right," Marius said. He looked like he was trying to remember him and then called out, "Forget it."

"Do you know what's going on with him?" I asked. He probably didn't, but he's a pureblood and most purebloods know each other, right?

"How am I supposed to know?" Marius asked confused and then started searching through some textbooks.

"Well for one you have a better connection to the wizarding world than I do," I stated, which was true "And also you're a pureblood. Don't your parents know his or something?"

"My mother knows his name," said Marius "But I don't think she's heard from him since they left Hogwarts, if they even knew each other then. Why are you asking?"

"I'm just curious, that's all," I said and shrugged. I took a book that was on my list and pointed to the rest of them so he would see them.

"Well," he said and took one himself "You must know what Muggles say. Curiosity killed the frog?"

"The cat," I corrected him and checked my list. We were done.

Marius and I took our books to the counter and paid for them. Janet, Danus and Dominic soon joined us and did the same. We left the shop.

"Any of you taking their broomstick this year?" Danus asked us.

Second years are allowed to bring their broomsticks to Hogwarts while first years weren't. Broomsticks are an excellent way to pass the time but are also used to play the wizard sport Quidditch.

I had never been a very sporty person, but Quidditch had gotten me hooked from the moment I found out about it. When we had played with my friends during the Christmas holidays I had played as Seeker and they had told me that I had to try out for the team this year. I was still thinking about it. I loved playing and I wouldn't mind being on the team. My friend Teddy was on his House's team. The only problem was that I didn't have a broomstick.

"I got the new Nimbus 3000 just after the holidays started," Marius told him "But my father's afraid that I'll break it if I take it to school so he's only letting me take my Firebolt."

"I haven't got one to bring," Janet said. She hated broomsticks, a one and only in the wizarding world.

" _My_ parents are letting me take my Nimbus 3000," Dominic said "But I'm not trying out for the team. I'm the clumsiest wizard alive on a broom. It's a miracle I was even allowed to have a broomstick."

"Danny's trying out for the team though," Marius said, "Aren't you?"

"I did say I would, right?" I was a bit nervous.

"You're great," Janet said "I'm sure you'll get in. That idiot Lupin made the team, why wouldn't you?"

I winced. My friends didn't like Teddy at all because he was a Hufflepuff and I tried to keep my friendship with him a secret. I'm sure he didn't like it, but I had to. The perks of having friends from two opposed Houses.

"Lupin's a Hufflepuff," I said "I'm a Slytherin. Different teams."

"I think her point is that even a Hufflepuff wouldn't pick him," Marius told me "And yet they did. You'll make the team for sure."

"You're one of the best Seekers I've seen," Danus added

"But I don't even have a broom," I confessed.

"You can borrow mine as long as you promise not to break it," Dominic said. What did I ever do to deserve friends who would lend me their broomsticks?

"Thanks guys," I thanked them for all their support.

"So are we gonna have lunch or just go home?" Marius asked.

"Let's get something from here and leave in about an hour," Dominic decided, looking at the watch he was wearing.

"Great," Janet said and we made our way through Diagon Alley.


	4. Hogwarts Here We Come

"Hogwarts, here we come!" Janet said as she slammed her trunk shut.

We were in her bedroom getting ready. Being the very organised people that we were, we had left packing for this morning. Not the best idea. She had woken up at 6 am and run into my room to tell me when she realised and wish me a happy birthday. It must be my fate to be woken very early in the morning to go to Hogwarts. Last year Mel had woken me up in the orphanage because I had to go buy my wand.

By seven we were done. Just in time to get breakfast with the rest of the family.

At ten we were going to leave.

"Come on Az," I was trying to get my owl into his cage "Don't be annoying." He sat on top of the closet, eyeing it like it was a prison. It probably was, poor guy, but I couldn't carry him any other way. "Please come down," I begged him without much luck "Don't you want to go to Hogwarts and see your friends? I'll give you a treat on the train if you come down." At the sound of the word 'treat' he seemed a little keener to listen to me. "I'll give you one now as well," I said. Finally he flew down and sat on my shoulder.

"Good boy," I stroked his head and pulled an owl treat out of my pocket. I had kept them there for a situation like this. We had left our owls for the end so that we could give them a few more minutes of freedom.

Azriel stepped into the cage and allowed me to shut the door. I walked into the hallway and deposited his cage on top of my trunk. Janet came out of her room carrying her owl Alaska in her cage. She was a snowy owl and that's why she had been named after Alaska. Janet had also been the one to name Azriel, knowing many different names.

Mr. and Mrs Morcroff and Sabrina were waiting for us in front of the front door. Mrs Morcroff was wearing a long grey dress and her signature ruby necklace. Mr. Morcroff was dressed in the same robes he had worn the day he brought me here. Sabrina had a green T-shirt, black skirt and black flats on as well as a silver locket around her neck. This family seemed to only have four colours when it came to clothes.

We travelled to King's Cross Station in a Muggle taxi. Mrs Morcroff had complained about that a lot before we left and even while we were in the car. She said that she didn't want to have Muggle filth all over her when they got back home. Mr. Morcroff wasn't very into the idea either, but he said that we couldn't just apparate into Platform 9 ¾ and the same went for the station because Muggles were everywhere. It made me wonder if this had happened all the previous years as well.

Once we were out of the taxi Mr. Morcroff paid the driver with some Muggle money he'd gotten just for this occasion and we made our way to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10.

In order to go to Hogwarts you have to take the Hogwarts Express, a red train. That train departed from Platform 9 ¾, a platform that only wizards could enter. To go to the platform all you had to do was walk straight through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 and you would enter the secret platform. If you were a Muggle, you would probably break your nose trying.

Janet went through first and I followed. Sabrina came through next and lastly their parents. The first time I'd come here I hadn't had the time to admire it, we had been in such a hurry we had almost missed the train.

It was packed with wizards of all ages, from infants to old people. Children from the ages of eleven to seventeen were boarding the train saying goodbye to their families.

"We'll see you this Christmas," Mrs Morcroff told Janet.

"Of course," Janet assured her. Last year most of us had stayed behind and Janet, Danus, Marius and Dominic hadn't gone home to visit their family.

"See you Janie," Sabrina said hugging her sister and then, to my surprise, me too "And you too Danny."

"Bye," Janet waved at them and we carried our trunks towards the train.

"Have a good time," Sabrina yelled "And don't swim in the lake naked!"

"Rina!" Janet complained, turning around to face her sister her face red with embarrassment. Sabrina smirked.

We got onto the train. We walked down the corridor, looking for the rest in our group, when suddenly someone crashed into me, hugging me so forcefully I could barely breathe.

"Danny!" I looked down to see a girl with emerald green hair and freckles.

"Mel," I said hugging her back happily "I missed you."

"Me too," she said pulling away "Come on. Teddy and I found a compartment this way."

I was about to go with her when I remembered Janet. Like I've said, the group and Mel didn't get along. I really wanted to catch up with Mel and Teddy though. After all, Janet would have everyone else to keep her company.

"Sorry," I told her "You go find everyone else and tell them I said hi."

"Okay," she nodded but looked a bit confused.

Mel grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowds of people. She stopped in front of a compartment. A boy with turquoise hair, Teddy, was inside along with a girl I didn't know. She had blond hair and blue eyes. Mel opened the door and we went in.

"Look who decided to show up," Teddy said getting up and hugging me.

"You haven't changed," I said, referring to his hair.

Mel and Teddy were Metamorphmagi, which meant that they can change their appearance at will. Mel has a different hair colour every day, but Teddy's is always turquoise.

"Danny this is Victoire," he introduced me to the girl who was still sitting down.

"Hi," I said.

"Hello," she answered.

"Is this your first year?" I asked her while sitting down next to Mel and opposite Teddy.

"Yes but Teddy's told me all about Hogwarts," she said. _'Oh, so she knows Teddy,'_ I thought.

"You're the one who keeps asking me," Teddy said.

"Because I was worried _maman_ would force me to go to Beauxbatons," she said.

She said the word _maman_ a bit strange. She was obviously referring to her mother, but it sounded like she was speaking a different language. Mel found it fascinating.

"Oh, I love your accent," she said, bouncing up and down on her seat "Say something in French."

" _Je m' appelle Victoire et j'ai onze ans,"_ Victoire said smiling.

Mel squealed.

I must have seemed very confused because Teddy saw me and laughed. "Victoire's mother is French," he explained "The little brat likes to show off."

In response Victoire punched his arm quite hard. He yelped in pain causing her to laugh. "You laugh at my pain," he told her trying to look offended.

It wasn't that I didn't like the little French girl, I had just been hoping that on the train ride to Hogwarts we would talk about the Prophecy and what we were supposed to do to solve its riddle. I had a small hope that Victoire would know and we could talk freely, but at the same time I wished she didn't. I didn't want everyone knowing about me.

"Does she know about the…" I asked, not saying all the sentence and hoping they understood.

"About the what?" she asked immediately.

"The… relationships between Houses," I said the first thing that came to my head.

"Of course I do," she answered.

I saw Teddy shake his head no next to her. She didn't know. That meant we couldn't talk.

"Which House do you want to be in?" Mel asked her to take her mind off of what had just happened.

"I'm not sure," she said "Gryffindor is cool, like my dad, but Ravenclaw's nice too. I think either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

"Hey, what's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Teddy asked her pretending to sound offended.

"Nothing," Victoire replied "I just prefer the other two options. And Slytherins are all nasty!"

I should have seen that coming.

Slytherin had a bad reputation of having the worst students in the school. It wasn't hard to see. During the Sorting ceremony when someone was sorted into Slytherin the students from the other Houses looked at them with disgust and first and second years looked at us with fear in the hallways. It was something we had to live with, but it wasn't true.

Mel and Teddy looked at me worriedly. I was a bit offended, especially since I was Slytherin's descendant, but it wasn't as if it had come as a complete surprise to me.

Victoire was looking at us puzzled. "What is it?" she asked confused "Did I say something."

"Vic, Danny is in Slytherin," Teddy explained.

She looked shocked. But not the kind of shocked I was used to, that of fright. It was regret.

"Oh Merlin I'm so sorry," she told me "There I go again. I open my mouth and put my foot in it."

"It's okay," I said.

"No it's not," she shook her head "You don't seem nasty and Teddy wouldn't talk to you if you were. I just went ahead and paid attention to that stereotype without even thinking if it was right."

"Don't worry," I told her "I've heard worse."

Years of bullying and having people insult me weren't easy to deal with. _Freak! Weirdo. Loser._ I shook my head. At least I was away from that now. One of the things I wanted to do with my magic when I was permitted to use it outside of school was pay those bastards a visit and curse them. Filthy Muggles!

The trolley witch came and spared us the awkward silence. "Anything from the trolley kids?" she asked us.

We got our money out of our trunks and bought some candy to last us the trip to Hogwarts. I got some chocolate frogs and liquorice wands, buying some extra stuff for later. We might not be able to have a party in the dorm, but we certainly weren't going to go to bed early.

Once I put the ones I'd gotten for then in my trunk I looked up to see Mel holding a cake with candles on it. Before I could say anything the whole compartment started singing, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday Danny. Happy birthday to you."

I blew out the candles, wishing to figure out the Prophecy. They started clapping and then they gave me some presents they had for me. Mel gave me a brooch with the Slytherin crest on it. I saw it in two ways (a) because I'm in Slytherin and (b) because of my heritage. Teddy gave me some invisible ink that only the people you want to can see. Victoire hadn't known that it was my birthday so she gave me one of the chocolate frogs she had bought. After that we ate the cake using some plastic spoons Mel had brought. Apparently her mum had made it for me. Thank you, Mrs Andrews.

After we were so full we couldn't even move we fell asleep for about an hour. What can I say, best birthday train ride ever!


	5. Another Sorting Ceremony

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I went on holidays and I meant to submit this document to my account so I could try to post it from my phone, but I totally forgot! Anyway, I feel like I haven't given people a shoutout in a while, so I'm going to this time because they deserve it. Thank you a billion DSCWin for always reviewing and following and favouriting my stories and than** **k you EnderBlazeHybrid for following. You're both awesome! And so is everyone else who has followed and favaourited of course. Love you all!**

When I woke up it was to the sound of clicking. I opened my eyes and saw that Victoire had a camera pointed in my direction. Teddy was leaning against the glass window fast asleep, drooling slightly. I felt a weight on my shoulder and saw Mel sleeping, her head resting on it. Victoire was taking pictures of us.

"Stop it," I whispered so I wouldn't wake the other two.

"You're cute," she whispered back and winked.

I rolled my eyes and looked outside the window. I didn't have the heart to move and wake Mel. It was already dark and I could see the Hogwarts castle in the distance. Holy shit! How long had we been asleep for?

Mel groaned and stirred. She opened her eyes and when she saw the position in which she was she got up as fast as she could. "Sorry," she said blushing slightly.

I nodded to tell her that there wasn't a problem.

"Oh God what time is it?" she asked stretching.

"Late," I answered "We have to change into our robes."

"Let's wake Teddy," she said and ran a hand through her hair.

Victoire beat us to it. She leaned close to him and screamed, "WAKE UP!" into his ear. Teddy woke in an instant, almost falling off his seat.

Mel and I giggled while Victoire doubled over with laughter.

"Oh you little…" the Hufflepuff complained.

"We'll leave you two and go change," Mel said getting up. Victoire followed her and they left the compartment.

Teddy and I got out of our day clothes and changed into our Hogwarts robes. I had never worn a tie before in my life until last year, but months of tying it had taught me how. I admired its emerald and silver colours, the Slytherin colours.

The girls soon came back and we shared a couple more minutes together talking until the train came to a halt. The doors opened and students started getting off.

"Firs' years this way. Firs' years this way," Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper, was calling out, holding a lantern.

Victoire gulped.

"That's you, Vic," Teddy nudged her "I'll see you soon, don't worry."

"Bye Victoire," Mel and I told her and she followed the rest of the first years to the boats.

I wondered how _we_ got to the castle. Last year we had taken the boats but apparently there was another way to travel. Three Hufflepuffs, Teddy's friends, walked up to us to say hi.

"Mind if we borrow him?" Rey asked us, taking hold of Teddy's arm.

"Go ahead," Mel answered "But we want him back."

"We'll see," Rey told her and they left.

Mel and I followed the crowd and found ourselves in front of these huge carriages. They looked the ones they used to have in the old days, except that those had horses pulling them. These ones had nothing.

Other students were hopping onto the carriages five at a time. Mel and I were only two, so we sat with three Gryffindor girls. They didn't notice we were actually there, just kept talking and giggling. It was a bit strange and we felt uninvited, but at least the ride was going to be short.

The carriages started moving on their own and soon we were in front of Hogwarts. I looked down and I could see the first years making their way on the lake.

The gates opened and we walked inside, headed towards the Great Hall where the Sorting Ceremony would take place. When we got there Mel and I parted because she had to go to the Gryffindor table and I had to go to the Slytherin one.

The rest of my friends were already there, with the addition of Zaria whom I hadn't seen all summer. "Hey," I greeted her "How are you?"

"Great," she answered "It's good to be back."

I sat between Janet and Marius. I looked up at the table where the Professors sat to see the same Professors I'd had last year. They were all there except for Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, who was waiting to bring in the first years and Hagrid who was also the Care of Magical Creatures Professor.

We talked for a bit until the doors opened and in came McGonagall followed by a sea of eleven year olds with wide eyes. McGonagall was carrying a stool and an old tattered hat that we knew all too well, the Sorting Hat.

She made her way to the front of the Great Hall and put the stool down, placing the Hat on top of it. Everyone went quiet to listen to the song it would sing, which was a different one every year.

This year's song wasn't too different from the one it had sung last year. Again it spoke of the traits of each House but concluded by saying that all four Houses should unite.

McGonagall pulled out a roll of parchment. It was the list of all the first years who had to be sorted. She read the names and when you heard your name you sat down on the stool and put on the Hat. It then read your mind and decided which House was right for you.

"Arison, Gloria," she read.

A girl with two brown pigtails made her way to the stool. She sat down and with shaking hands put on the Hat. It was so big it almost covered her entire head.

"RAVENCLAW!" it finally announced.

The Ravenclaws applauded loudly and Gloria took the Hat off, placed it back on the stool and ran to their table smiling. They greeted her happily, some second years even shaking her hand.

"Atlas, John," McGonagall read when the clapping died down.

The boy copied Gloria's actions.

"GRYFFINDOR!" said the Hat.

The Gryffindor table cheered with occasional whistling from the older students.

"Atgon, Paschal."

"SLYTHERIN!"

It was our turn to cheer for our House's new member. I remembered the relief I'd felt when I'd finally been sorted and how warmly I had been welcomed by everyone else. I wanted to make Paschal feel the same.

"Atkinson, Hayley."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Avlians, Mary."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Awery, Cynthia."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Awbrey, Raul."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Axton, Angelo."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Badlerry, Xene."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Badsmore, Emily."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Banieri, Cepheus."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Bapter, Walter."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Beaca, Stella."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bedanos, Canes."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Belanom, Sydney."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Bifson, Mitch."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Biopontil, Fox."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Bosrit, Calvin."

"SLYTHERIN!"

I zoned out there. I clapped for the occasional Slytherin, but it wasn't as if I was paying attention to the names. Zaria was braiding the hair of Jessica Boxer, a girl from our year who shared a dorm with her and Janet.

"Nuwis, Horatio."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Oarwall, Edmund."

I looked up. We all did, especially Danus. His little brother had just been called for his Sorting. I saw him walk up to the stool and noticed that they didn't look that much alike. Danus had grey eyes and blond hair, while Edmund had brown eyes and hair. They had some similar characteristics though, like their nose and face shape.

He sat down and put the Hat on. Danus began tapping the table with his fingers nervously.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat finally announced.

We clapped. Danus rose from his seat. "Go, Eddie!" he called out to his brother.

Edmund put the Hat down and ran to us. Danus hugged him before allowing him to sit with the other first years. The ceremony continued.

Danus shared his excitement with us for a few more names. I wasn't paying much attention, but at the same time I was looking to see if Victoire was called. Neither she nor Teddy had mentioned her last name so I wasn't sure when I should expect her to be called.

"Weasley, Victoire."

Finally!

She cautiously placed the Hat on her head. I could see her crossed fingers from a distance.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Even though she hadn't been sorted into my House I felt the need to clap for her. She had the biggest smile on her face as she made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

The Sorting ended with Quiana Zodric going to Slytherin. We then sang the Hogwarts anthem and had our dinner.

But when the desert arrived, I realised something was up. We were presented with dishes of freshly baked apple pies that looked amazing. When someone cut a slice, though, they noticed that it was actually filled with a disgusting green goo.

I heard a scream from the Hufflepuff table and before I could think what in Merlin's name had made the pie like that, I saw Janet and Zaria laughing. I smirked.

"You two?" I asked them, even though I already knew the answer.

"We couldn't allow the Ceremony to be so perfect, could we now?" Zaria answered.

She and Janet were the best pranksters I knew.

It took a couple of minutes for everyone to realise that it was simply a joke and to start laughing. And then we were sent to bed.

In the dorm James pulled the drapes around his bed straight away while Danus, Marius and I ate candy from the train and they gave me gifts from them as well as the girls and Dominic. Danus had gotten me a book about Quidditch, Marius some special owl treats for Azriel, Janet a watch, Zaria a fanged Frisbee and Dominic a Slytherin hoodie.

We went to bed after two hours and I wished I could just sleep through the rest of the day instead of go to my classes.


	6. Classes

**Finally updating on time and I'm kind of having a bad day because I've been studying Latin all day :( I hope you guys all enjoy the new chapter, I am grateful for every one of you for coming by and reading my story. It really means the world to me. And thanks to you, wonderful person, you know who you are ;), for reviewing my last chapter!**

I didn't want to get out of bed the next morning. The bed was just too comfortable. Of course, the one I'd slept in at Janet's had been great too, but I had just slept on the train for so many hours. But I was ready to get up and face another year of school.

Or so I thought.

The second I'd tied my tie I felt like jumping back into bed again. I didn't want to go to class, I just wanted to rest and have fun. Sadly, those weren't the plans. James slipped out of the dorm without any of us noticing yet again, just like last year. When the three of us were dressed and ready to go we left as well.

Janet, Zaria and Dominic were waiting for us in the common room and together we went for breakfast. I think some pancakes and pumpkin juice really helped me wake up completely. Slughorn gave us our timetables for this year and for us second years and the older students than us he had included a little note about the Quidditch tryouts. They were tomorrow after classes.

"If you don't go I swear your legs will vanish," Zaria threatened me.

"Don't worry," I told her "These guys already took care of convincing me."

"And good thing we did," Dominic added "The Quidditch team will be forever grateful of us."

"What about the Quidditch team?" Alexander Day, the team's Captain joined our conversation as he was walking by.

"Odny's trying out for the team," my friend informed him "He's one of the best Seekers I've seen."

"Well we'll see about that," Alexander said looking at me and then walking away.

"Go on, thank me," Dominic told me, a proud smile on his face.

"Thank you, Dominic for embarrassing me in front of the team's Captain," I said and drank some of my pumpkin juice. He took his wand out of his pocket and did the wand movement required for the bat-bogey hex.

Our first class of the day was Transfiguration. McGonagall taught that and she was pretty strict but an excellent Professor. The fact that I didn't go too well in this subject was because it was so difficult. I had been lucky to get an E on my exams.

A funny thing about going from a Muggle school to a wizard school is that I was used to good grades being A or even B and bad ones being E and F. Here, the best mark you could get was an O, as in Outstanding, and E was the second best, Exceeds Expectations. The worst grades were D, Dreadful, and T, which is rumoured to stand for Troll. I'm not so sure I should believe that.

"Last year you managed to transform matches into needles and mice into snuffboxes," McGonagall said "This year we are going to try some slightly more difficult transfigurations. Like I said last year, it is perfectly normal to not get these with your first try. Practice as much as you can and you will improve wonderfully."

We didn't do anything practical for the first lesson, she just explained the theory.

This was something else that was different in wizard schools, lessons start immediately. In my old school, which was the orphanage's school, the first day of classes was spent just goofing around. The teachers just told us some basic stuff about the lesson they taught, like McGonagall just had, and then they let us do whatever we wanted. That was probably just my school, but it was a big change to start lessons seriously from the first day.

We had some more lessons after Transfiguration and then it was lunch time.

During lunch, we had a long conversation about broccoli with Dominic and Danus. Danus loved every vegetable ever created and when we found out that lunch was meatballs and vegetables he was over the moon with joy. Personally, I like most of them, but I despise eggplant. I don't know why. Ever since I was a little kid I wouldn't want to eat it whenever it was served to us. It wasn't as if I had tried it and didn't like it, I was just terrified of it.

Dominic only liked carrots. So, when we served ourselves he piled his plate up with meatballs and took about three minutes searching for the carrots. "How can you not like vegetables?" Danus asked him.

"How can you like them?" Dominic replied.

"Oh come on, Dominic," I said "They're not that bad!"

"Yes, they are," he said "Take broccoli for example. How can you trust it?"

"Trust it?" Danus repeated and laughed.

"I mean, it's green and it's got all those things on it," Dominic described the vegetable as if it was a bomb.

"But it's good for you," Danus said and ate some.

"Not for my taste buds it's not," our friend argued.

"You're hopeless," I told him.

"Are you three seriously arguing about broccoli?" Janet intervened, sounding both annoyed and amused.

"No!" we said at the same time. She raised an eyebrow and went back to eating her lunch. We decided to give up the subject and did the same.

After lunch, we had Charms. Unlike last year, I was certain that I was going to do better in this subject. I felt more prepared and that now I knew how I had to study and prepare myself better. Also, after taking a quick look at this year's textbook, I had seen that we learned many new interesting spells. Looking forward to learning them was definitely going to help as well.

Professor Flitwick was a sight for sore eyes. He just looked adorable standing on his pile of books with his cute little moustache. Honestly, if he wasn't my Professor I would have kidnapped him to have as a pet.

"Welcome back," he smiled at us "It's lovely to see you all again. Now, let's pick this up from where we left last year. Abner, George?"

"Present," said George, a Hufflepuff I'd met during my boat ride to Hogwarts last year.

"Anderson, Max?"

"Present."

"Andrews, Melena?"

"Present."

"Armstrong, Phillip?"

"Present."

"Bayleaf, Amy?"

"Present."

"Boxer, Jessica?"

"Present."

"Bumis, Lyra?"

"Present."

"Candon, James?"

Like last year, James simply raised his hand.

"Cobsworth, Ophiuchus?"

"Present."

He read the rest of the list to make sure we were all there, although I doubted someone wouldn't on the first day of school.

"Zine, Diana?"

"Present."

"Everyone is here," Flitwick announced "Very good. Very good. Now, this year we will be learning some new spells. We will do theory first and when you have understood that we will move onto the practical part of the lesson. For that part, you will be working in pairs."

Some of us, including myself, groaned. Working in pairs sucked. You had to rely on your partner and I couldn't see how it fit Charms.

"I know that it may not seem very exciting to some of you," our Professor said when he heard our reaction "But I think it will really help and also you will get to know each other better."

At least he would let us pick partners and I would go with Janet and have fun.

Flitwick pulled out a roll of parchment. "I have picked your pair and I will read you the list right now."

Or maybe not.

"Mr. Abner, you will go with Miss Bumis," he started "Mr. Anderson with Mr. Versin. Miss Andrews with Miss Zine. Mr. Armstrong with Miss Fray. Miss Bayleaf with Mr. Oarwall. Miss Boxer with Miss Morcroff. Mr. Candon with Mr. Odny. Mr. Cobsworth with Miss Yetch…"

What?! Janet got paired with her dorm mate Jessica, Mel with Diana Zine and I had to go with James? To be fair, he was my dorm mate, but I didn't even know him. I had only talked to him once for Merlin's sake and now we were partners for the rest of the year in Charms? I had really been looking forward to this lesson. At least Danus and Marius hadn't been paired together. That would have made me go crazy.

I turned my head and looked at James. He was sitting at the far end of the classroom looking at his notebook but not writing anything. I can't say he seemed thrilled either.

Later that night, before we went to bed, Marius told me to go sleep with James since we were now partners and had to get to know each other. I replied by saying that that meant we should send Danus to the Hufflepuffs since that was Lyra Bumis' House. They got the point that this wasn't a joking matter.

I went to bed as early as I could though, because Quidditch tryouts were the next day and I couldn't afford to be lacking energy for that. I had to give it everything I had!

 **Of course I had to talk about school and all the misfortunes in this chapter because I hate school and I hate having to study in summer instead of going out and relaxing. But I really want to get into a good university, so I don't really have a choice. ANYWAY, hope I'm not sounding too pessimistic, though I spent half the day bawling my eyes out. I hope you enjoyed this chappy. If you did, please leave a review, follow and favourite. It makes me know that y'all want more. Bye Bye!**


	7. Quidditch Tryouts

Personally, I think eggs and bacon are one of my favourite breakfast options. Definitely in my top five list. And to my joy I discovered that that was what was being served the morning of the Quidditch tryouts. We had a couple of hours until the time came for them, but a good day starts with a good morning.

I had left all thoughts about Charms and pairs and James Candon in the back of my head and had brought forward all the ones that had to do with Quidditch, Snitches and broomsticks. Except for the ones about sweeping, those were pretty useless to me at the moment.

In the orphanage where I had grown up, we had this thing called Sweeping Day. Basically it was when we cleaned our dorms, not only sweeping but also mopping and dusting, and someone checked them to see if they were clean enough. I don't know who named it Sweeping Day, but it was quite a dumb thing to call it. The girls had more fun at it than us boys did. Mel had told me that when they were younger they would pretend to be Cinderella and their stepmother had made then do cleaning.

As promised, Dominic said that I could borrow his broomstick that morning at breakfast and that was another good start to the day. As I've mentioned before I didn't have a broomstick of my own yet because Aunt Demetra claimed that her apartment barely fit the two of us and there was no way we could also fit a flying me. Maybe when we moved I would get one.

We had talked about buying a house maybe and moving somewhere better now that we lived together. It would be a bit tough because she didn't have a great job, but maybe I could do something over the summer and help. Anything to get out of _there_.

Despite the lovely breakfast and promises though, I was very nervous. I was definitely not the best Seeker, as my friends said. I merely enjoyed the game and didn't think I was that good at it. They all seemed certain that I would get in, however I wasn't so sure. The others trying out will have surely done so much previous training and I didn't even have a broom.

Additionally, I had never flown a Nimbus 3000 like the one Dominic had. What if it was too fast and I couldn't slow it down? What if I fell off straight away? I tried to calm down and think positively. _'Maybe no one else will come to the tryouts,'_ I thought.

' _Who are you trying to kid?'_ my brain replied _'Of course others will come and they will kick your butt.'_

Enough thinking!

During the classes I was told many times to pay attention because I had been doing something completely different than what I should have been doing or because I had been asked a question five times and had never replied. I almost even got detention on my second day. This wasn't a good way to start the year.

At lunch, Alexander Day walked up to me. "Hey, Odny," he said "I'll see you at tryouts, right?"

"Yep," I answered.

He smiled and slapped my back. The team's Captain was actually looking forward to see me play! I felt so happy before that made me even more anxious. What if I completely embarrassed myself by playing horribly? He'd be so disappointed.

"I heard you're going to try out for the Slytherin team," Mel said to me during Defence Against the Dark Arts. Last year I'd sat with Janet in every lesson because the Gryffindor and I had had a big argument, which was more one sided to tell you the truth. But now that we were back to where we had been before, I had decided that I could sit with her so she won't be lonely. I still sat with Janet in half the lessons though. I couldn't leave her alone either. I'm such a good friend!

"Does the whole school know?" I asked in reply.

She giggled. "Don't worry, you'll do great," she said "I've seen you play."

We had played Quidditch with her and Teddy over the summer a couple of times. Once we were even joined by Liam, Rey and Charlotte. I had played as Seeker then as well.

"It's a shame you can't come to watch," I told her. It would have been nice to have all of my friends encourage me, but Day said that no one outside Slytherin was allowed to come.

"I'll be there… spiritually," Mel said and waved her arms around like a ghost.

"Miss Andrews now is not the time to play mime!"

"Sorry, Professor," she said sweetly.

"What about you?" I asked her. She had been thinking about joining the Gryffindor team as a Chaser during the summer.

"I think I'll give it a try as well," she said "Who knows, maybe one day we'll play as enemies." She winked. As if I could ever call her my enemy.

When classes were finally over I went to the common room to leave my book bag and take Dominic's broom. He brought it for me since, strangely enough, I had no clue which one was his dorm.

"Here you go," he said and handed it to me "Just try not to break it."

"Don't worry," I told him "I'll bring it back to you safe and sound."

As I left to go to the Quidditch field I thought about something completely not accurate. I had been thinking about the team and broomsticks all this time and hadn't grasped the opportunity to meet Mel and Teddy at the library or someplace private to discuss the Prophecy. After the tryouts it was definitely something I should think about. I couldn't put it off much longer.

I got to the pitch and forced myself to stop thinking about it. There were a few people already there and I saw another girl coming. Some of them were already in the sky.

I sat down and looked at the broom, I thought I should give it a try before the tryouts so I could see if I could handle it. I mounted it and kicked off. It was a bit too fast but it only took me some seconds to figure out how to control it. This wasn't very hard, I could fly this.

"Is that a Nimbus 3000?" someone asked me.

"Yes," I replied. I didn't mention that it wasn't mine.

"Cool," the girl said "My name's Calliope, fourth year."

"Danny, second year," I introduced myself "What are you trying out for?"

"Beater, you?"

"Seeker."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. You too."

We heard a whistle and looked down. Day had arrived.

"Everyone gather around," he said. We lowered out brooms and flew to the ground. "Due to three team members graduating last year, Cleo Brushwick, Milo Banshins and Robyn Malkor, we are in need of a Seeker, Chaser and Beater," Day continued "It is very nice to see how many of you are willing to participate, however only three of you will eventually make the team. We are going to try for a Chaser first, then Beater and lastly a Seeker. Those of you who play as Chasers will be given the Quaffle and try to get it past Wetherell."

About ten people flew into the sky. Jasmine Wetherell was a third year and this was her second year as Keeper. They formed a line in front of the hoops, one behind the other, and she tossed the one in front the Quaffle.

I didn't pay much attention during the Chasers and Beaters tryouts. I did see some very good players though, one of them being a boy from our year, Maximus Rumble. He tried out for the part of a Chaser. The girl I'd just met, Calliope did quite well too.

All my friends had come to watch and cheer for me, even Janet, which was nice of them.

"Now Seekers," Day said as the Beaters landed "You will be tested separately to see who will catch the Snitch faster."

There were six others who were trying out for this position. A fifth year boy went first. Day was holding the Snitch and he let it go. It took the boy a good two minutes 'til he finally caught it. _He_ wasn't making the team. There were three more people before me, a girl and two boys. They each took averagely fifty seconds to one minute.

At last it was my turn. I gulped as I saw Day let go of the Snitch. It flew down and I dived after it. I kept my eyes on it all the way. Suddenly it turned left. I did the same. I followed it while it flew in circles and made me do things like summersaults and twirl around. I was terrified of doing those on Dominic's broom for the safety of both me and the broom. As I was flying towards it, changed course it went up. I saw my chance and sped up. The second it went up I was in front of it, my hand outstretched and I grabbed it.

"Forty-three seconds," I heard Day say "Odny's on fire!"

I looked at my hand and saw the small golden ball fluttering, trying to break loose in it. Catching it was one of the best moments of my life. It wasn't like it had been when I played with my friends, it was somehow different.

I flew to Day and gave it to him before flying back to the ground. My feet touched solid ground and it took me a second to become accustomed to not be in the air. I began walking towards my friends. On my way, Melody Bluebird, a Chaser and also Prefect, smiled at me and pat my shoulder.

I collapsed next to Janet. "That was amazing!" Marius exclaimed.

"You took the least time than everyone else," Zaria congratulated me.

"And look," I told Dominic "Your broom's still in one piece!"

He laughed and we watched the few others who remained. I am proud to say that no one managed anything better than forty-three seconds. I was almost certain I would make the team now, but that yet remained to see.

"Alright," Day said when everyone was done "The team is… Chasers yours truly, Melody Bluebird and Morris Pintkling. Beaters Calliope Shulge and Hydrus Boxer. Keeper Jasmine Wetherell and Seeker Danny Odny."

My friends clapped and cheered. It was a bit embarrassing because no one else's friends had done that, but right then I couldn't care less. I'd done it, I'd made the team. I wished Mel would make hers as well. I was scooped into a huge hug. The rest of the team congratulated me as well. I couldn't wait for our first match!


	8. Teddy's Furry Little Problem

I know I've talked quite a bit about my friends. I've said a lot about Mel, Janet, Marius, Dominic and Danus. But there's one thing I haven't mentioned about Teddy. That's because it is his biggest secret and also something very dangerous if anyone found out. Teddy is a werewolf.

Last year we had been tricked and sent to a mysterious forest where two Death Eaters had trapped us, Antonin Dolohov and Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf. Teddy had tried to fight them in order to protect me and Mel. But he had been bitten by Greyback instead. It had been one of the hardest things in my life and I couldn't even imagine what it would have been like to him.

It had also taken me a while to stop thinking that it was my fault that this happened to him. His godfather, Harry Potter, had been the one who had helped me get over it eventually.

I could tell that the full moon was coming just by looking at him. He looked more tired the week leading up to it. We had been at Hogwarts for a while until it was time. I had done some training with the Quidditch team and it had all gone so well. We were a great team! Hopefully we would win the House Cup, just like last year.

On the weekend I was hanging out with him and Mel. We had tried to discuss the Prophecy, but hadn't gotten anywhere. This was too complicated to just sit and joke and then decide to work on it after a while. We had to spend an hour focusing only on that and we weren't serious enough to do that yet.

Maybe after some time we would. But Mel was showing Victoire around the Gryffindor world until she was used to it. The little French girl was making some friends already so her duties were coming to an end. Strangely enough Mel didn't hang out with anyone from Gryffindor and only knew the name of one girl who she shared her dorm with. She claimed it was because they weren't interesting.

Right now we were playing exploding snap with Teddy in the Hospital Wing. We could have been doing homework but that's what the common room is for. Plus I'm not sure he was in the right mental condition to do homework. Exploding snap might scare the crap out of you, but it's fun, homework isn't.

"Quidditch is next week," I told him "So you'd better recover quickly so you can come and see my first match."

"I don't think my condition works that way," he replied.

"Don't call it a condition," Mel said "It sounds like you've got some kind of terminal illness."

"Then what am I supposed to call it?" Teddy argued "A furry little problem?"

For some reason that made me laugh. The idea of lycanthropy being called a furry little problem and even the words themselves put together in a sentence was hilarious. Mel must have thought so too. She was covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggles unsuccessfully. Teddy was looking at us confused.

"What?" he asked.

"We _have_ to call it a furry little problem," Mel said, now laughing openly.

Our friend rolled his eyes. "Are we really going to walk around saying that I have a furry little problem?" he groaned.

"How did you even think of it?" I said in between laughter.

"My dad's friends used to say it," Teddy replied and looked down at his bedsheets.

Mel and I stopped laughing. See, another thing that makes me and Teddy close is the fact the our parents were killed by Death Eaters, Teddy's when he was barely a month old and mine when I was two. They were a sensitive subject and partly the reason I actually stopped thinking of him as the nasty person who stole Mel.

"Oh," she said and tucked some yellow hair behind her ear.

That made the mood a bit awkward. We kind of went back to our game and didn't talk much. For some reason I felt like most of our conversations this year were slightly triggering. It was because this was still new for Teddy so he wasn't used to it yet. I still remembered the first time he transformed and he screamed when his grandmother carried him to the basement. Add that to the list of things that I would never forget.

"I've had enough!" he suddenly exclaimed, making both me and Mel to jump in fright "We're sitting here, playing cards and worrying about _my_ problems while there are way more important things that need to be taken care of!"

"What-"

I was cut off by him saying, "The Prophecy, Danny. We've left it and have barely even brought it up since that day when we thought that we couldn't figure anything out."

"But we couldn't," Mel said.

"We just weren't focusing," Teddy argued "We have to think of everything we know and put it together. You have taken this too lightly. Tolfazor isn't a joke!"

"You think I don't know it?" I all but yelled. I knew that my friend wasn't doing so great, but he was being overdramatic now. "I never treated him as a joke. I just think that we might still have time."

"For what?" he yelled. Trying to be discreet had already been forgotten. "The Prophecy doesn't happen to mention when he's coming back. Or maybe it does and we just don't have a single clue because we haven't even tried working it out!"

If I hadn't been angry before, I certainly was now. Fuck people not noticing us, I wasn't going to let this go that easily.

"If you don't like the way I work, leave!" I screamed "But this is my mission and you two are just my sidekicks. I don't even need you, so if you don't like me, feel free to be a coward and run to your grandmother!"

"In case you've forgotten, I was the one who ran into a trap last year and had their whole life ruined," Teddy screamed back, our faces now so close that I could feel his breath and he seemed so angry it was scary, for he wouldn't hurt a fly "I did that for you and you're basically telling me to throw all that away. Fine by me. Tell you what, maybe next full moon I'll try and kill myself, does that sound good to you?"

"Shut up!"

We turned around. Mel was standing up, facing us both and looking like a strict teacher. No, like an upset parent. Now I don't know what they look like, but I found out then.

"You two are giving me a headache," she said, not loudly like us, but just a bit louder than her usual voice, "So stop arguing and let me talk to you."

"Don't get mad at me, Danny, but Teddy's right," she started and held up a hand when I tried to talk "We haven't been spending as much time as we should be studying the Prophecy. It is our responsibility and we need to solve it. However, this is under no circumstances only your responsibility. Like I said, it's _ours_! And it's about time we took it seriously. No one is quitting, no one is leaving and most certainly, no one is coming back! I mean Tolfazor, in case you didn't understand."

We stared at her. This was the most encouraging Mel had ever been. And it wasn't that what Teddy had said was wrong, we _were_ taking this a little too lightly, but the way she had said it sounded a bit less aggressive and more defensive.

But she helped calm us down. Both me and Teddy were looking at each other now, realising all the horrible thing we'd said to one another while we were arguing. It was easy to just say that it had been the heat of the moment and that we didn't mean any of it, but we both knew that that wasn't the truth. Whether we wanted to admit it or not, at that moment we had meant everything we said.

I was reminded of those days last year when I had hated him. _'Is that where we'll end up again?'_ I thought and looked down, ashamed. He didn't say anything though.

"Let's uh… Let's think of the Prophecy again," he suggested quietly. I nodded. It was an awful situation we'd gotten into, but it would have to wait to discuss it, if we ever did. Honestly, it would be so much easier to just forget it, pretend it never happen. Could we, though?

"Remind me how it goes, Danny," Mel said. I knew the Prophecy by heart since last year.

"The darkness isn't over, the worst it coming… Only one can stop it, the one we least expect. Only when the four unite and with the power of the serpent can the Heir destroy the darkness. It should be where it all started, on the night it all started. He will question right and wrong, but he will save us all. Beware, the darkness is coming," I recited.

"Let's start from the beginning," Mel said and we agreed.

"So, it talks about darkness coming," I said "Obviously Tolfazor. The one we least expect is mentioned later, the Heir, me. And now it gets complicated."

"It says something about four," said Teddy "But what are those four?"

"Four fours?" Mel suggested. I raised an eyebrow and our Hufflepuff friend seemed confused as well. She rolled her eyes. "The mathematical puzzle?" she continued, as if saying this would make us realise what she was saying. I shrugged while Teddy seemed even more confused than before. Out of all people though, Mel was probably the only one who would connect magic and maths.

She sighed and explained it to us, "The goal of four fours is to find the simplest mathematical expression for every whole number from 0 to some maximum, using only common mathematical symbols and the digit four."

"Mel," Teddy placed a hand on her shoulder "I don't think whoever delivered this Prophecy was thinking about mathematics." I chuckled as she poked her tongue out.

"Okay, scratch that," she said defeated.

I racked my brain, trying to think of something that would make sense. I tried to think of the number four as in something that wouldn't only make sense in the wizard or Muggle world, but in both. For some reason, I had the feeling that the Prophecy was addressing wizards and Muggles alike, as this darkness concerned everyone, not only some.

"In some cultures, four is considered perfection," I spoke up after some minutes "Maybe what it's trying to say that you do something and that grants you the power to do anything."

"But it says 'unite'," Mel observed "I don't think it would mean nothing and was just there to make it rhyme."

She was right. We had to think of something that made sense if we put it in place of the word 'four' in the text. And when we did that, it would also have to make sense because if it didn't we had basically just done nothing.

"I've got it!" Teddy suddenly announced excitedly, causing us to jump "The four elements."

I knew the four elements, who didn't. Water, earth, fire and wind. We learned about them in Muggle school but wizards must know about them too. So far it wasn't a bad idea at all, the best we'd had so far. I was curious to hear what else he wanted to say by this.

"Danny, do you have a copy of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them?" he asked me.

"Yes," I answered and opened my book to reveal said book.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is a book by Newt Scamander. In it, he talked about all the types of magical creatures in the world. He had a lot of interesting information about them, what they're called, where they live, their abilities and so much more. It was the current book I was reading, a gift for my birthday from my amazing best friend Mel. It was quite fascinating really!

I gave Teddy the book and he flipped through the pages until he stopped on one and turned the book around so we could see what it was about.

 _BOWTRUCKLES_ , it read.

"Earth," Teddy said and skipped some more pages before stopping again and showing us what it was.

 _MERMAIDS_

"Water," he said. Some pages later he stopped again.

 _DRAGONS_

"Fire."

I could see where he was going with this was going. He stopped on one more page, _GHOSTS_.

"Wind," he said and closed the book, giving it back to me "Each of these magical creatures represent an element each. What if we must find a way to put their powers together? They're all powerful, mind you."

Mel and I thought about it. He had a very good point. I tried rewriting the Prophecy in my mind, replacing 'four' with 'elements'. _Only one can stop it, the one we least expect. Only when the elements unite and with the power of the serpent can the Heir destroy the darkness._

It didn't sound wrong, it sounded quite good. We still had to figure out what 'power of the serpent' meant, but until then, we had made a great start. Mel must have thought so too, as she wrapped our friend into a hug. "Teddy Lupin, you are a genius!" she squealed. He blushed but thanked her.

"We need a name," she then said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Teddy and I asked in unison.

"As a team," she explained "We need to think of a title for us, for people to remember. In a few years, we will be in history books and we'll need a cool name for them to address us."

"What, like Team Super Awesome?" I suggested laughing.

"No," she said "Something like… The Warriors!"

That had me in stitches. "Mel," I told her "We aren't exactly warriors."

"Maybe not," she said, thinking "But we _do_ have something in common."

"What?" Teddy asked her.

In truth, we didn't really. At least, not all three of us. Me and Teddy both had dead parents. He and Mel were both Metamorphmagi. But we were in different Houses, had different approaches towards mostly everything, different senses of humour, different tastes in books and music, different friends…

"We all have shortened names," she said "Mel is short for Melena, Teddy is short for Edward and Danny is short for Daniel!"

"So, you want to name us three while thinking about _that_?" I exclaimed.

"For now," she replied and nodded "Let's be Team SN. SN is short for Short Names. We can change it later if we want to, but others might think it means something like Secretive Nymphs."

Even the fact that she was suggesting people thinking that was our name, caused us all to laugh again as I begged Mel to never change. "Team SN it is!" Teddy announced happily and we all put our hands together.


	9. Pumpkin Piñatas

**So, huge thanks to DCSWin and JoyI9199 for their kind and encouraging reviews. Love you both!**

"You do know that it's Halloween next week, right?" Zaria said one day during Herbology.

"Yeah, so?" Marius asked.

"We have to think of a Halloween prank," Janet replied, shocked he hadn't figured it out earlier.

"Are we going to do one again this year?" Danus asked "Even after the disaster that was last year?"

Last year, us five had decided to all do a prank together on Halloween to give everyone a little scare. It had been an amazing idea and it had taken us weeks to think of something good. And I'd actually gotten the idea because I bumped into a Gryffindor who had been in a fight in the bathroom. We had gotten really excited about and had done things like buying costumes.

Only that it didn't exactly go as planned. Turns out we got a bit overexcited and made the whole thing too scary. So, after a bathroom full of crying first years and me almost getting stabbed, McGonagall found us and gave us detention. Looking back at it, she was kind of right, but right then it felt just a tinge bit unfair.

I had had to make potions with Slughorn for Madam Pomfrey. Don't get me wrong, I quite like the matron, but spending time with Slughorn was a whole detention on its own. The only good thing I got from this whole experience was that I discovered my love for potion making, something to keep in mind for the future.

I had secretly wished that the girls would want to do another one this year, but I'd thought they wouldn't want to risk it. Only now did I realise how dumb that thought was, those two were fearless and nothing stopped them.

"Have you thought of anything?" Marius asked. Last year he hadn't participated as much as he would have liked to, so I could tell he was excited for this year.

"Have we ever been unprepared?" Janet asked.

He got the point and snorted before turning back to the plant he was tending to.

"So, what's the plan?" Danus asked, interested.

"I found a spell that could make something quite interesting happen to the jack-o'-lanterns," Zaria said with a smirk.

"Just make sure it's not too creepy," I warned her "I don't want to spend any more time making potions with Slughorn. Last year was enough."

"It's perfectly safe," she reassured me "It will only freak the out for a few seconds and then they'll be fine."

I sighed. "Alright, I guess. Count me in!"

"Great!" Janet said.

We then felt Professor Longbottom staring at us and not wanting to ruin the surprise, or get detention due to their fear that we were planning something went back to the lesson as if nothing had happened. _'I wish this year won't be a catastrophe,'_ I thought as I applied some fertilizer to my plant. It did sound a lot safer, but I couldn't help but worry a little, this was Janet and Zaria we were talking about.

"I hate History of Magic!" Dominic exclaimed, throwing his textbook at the wall of the common room. Several people stared at him and he turned bright red before hesitantly walking up to his book and gingerly picking it up. He then returned to where we were sitting.

Binns had decided that it was a good idea to give us a test on everything we had done this year so far, so we were studying. Naturally, we hadn't paid any attention to his class and had left studying to the last minute. By that I meant that we were in the common room, studying James Candon's notes that I had borrowed. Being the nerd he was, he had revised everything already.

I guess he was a nerd that is. I only ever see him taking notes in class and studies in the dorm all the time. Even now that we're paired in Charms, he never speaks to me. I wish I'd ended up with Janet as my partner, being with him is just so awkward.

For example, the other day Flitwick taught us a new spell, the disarm charm, and had us practicing in our assigned pairs. Whereas most pairs helped each other, James wouldn't even let me near him, doing it all by himself and then making me do the same. I saw the others giving advice to their pair, Janet was showing Jessica how she had been holding her wand, Diana Zine encouraging Mel to try again ("You'll get it right this time for sure!") and even Danus was giving Amy Bayleaf a small smile. Why was my pair the silent one? And it's not like I couldn't use the advice, either. He got it with his third try. At my sixth, I was still failing miserably.

"I agree with Dom," Zaria said, putting her book down "I'm bored."

"Let's go explore the Forbidden Forest," Danus suggested, his eyes gleaming. We had been to the Forest with Janet last year, but not too deep in and Danus hadn't come with us. He was quite eager to go at some point.

"No, it will take too long," I said "Let's just take a short break, but I have Quidditch training in an hour." I looked at my watch.

Quidditch has been absolutely amazing and everyone on the team is really friendly, but also very competitive. We had been training hard and were certainly going to win the match against Hufflepuff next week. It was going to be a bit strange, as it was going to be me against Teddy as Seekers.

"Actually," Janet said "I have a better idea." We all turned to her and listened to what she said. "Every year they keep the pumpkins for Halloween in the store room near our dorms. After they carve them, they leave them there until the feast. Seeing as it's in two days, we need to put the spell on them sometime soon."

We smirked, she was right. "But there's probably some spell on the lock so that no one goes Alohomora on it," I intervened.

"Don't worry about that," said Janet. I could tell from the look on her face that she had already planned everything. Zaria, however, seemed just as in the dark as we were.

We left our books and followed the blond girl to the store room. It wasn't too far away, as it was in the dungeons, just like our dorms. One of the coolest things about this school was sleeping underground and underwater. The sound of the water was lulling and helped put you to sleep under all circumstances.

When we got to there, Marius pulled his wand out and performed the unlocking charm on the lock. As expected, the door remained locked. Janet simply sighed in annoyance and pulled a bobby pin out of her bun. She handed it to me. "You grew up mischief making in the Muggle world," she said "Unlock it."

I was taken aback. My life in the Muggle world was a topic we never brought up because they knew I hated it and that it was a dark part of my past. But Janet had found a way that it might seem useful to us and I wasn't just going to disappoint everyone's cheeky prank spirit.

I took the bobby pin and began jiggling it around in the lock until I heard a click. I gasped. The rest of the group minus Janet was just as surprised as I was. She smirked. "Silly, they only think of wizard precautions," she said. I gave her the pin and she put it back in her hair, which remained perfect. I tried not to stare at her, she was so pretty.

She pushed the door open and we went in. The room was full of pumpkins. Each one had a face carved into them, but, unlike the ones we'd make at the orphanage, they were all the same. There was nothing different about the faces, it was as if they had taken one and copied it many times. It wasn't like they were small pumpkin either, they were enormous! Hagrid, the groundkeeper, must be proud of them.

We got our wands out and Zaria told us the spell and how to do it. As always, I didn't get it straight away. We split up, as there were many pumpkins. We did the spell on all of them and by the end I felt like I never wanted to see a pumpkin again in my life. _"Mutadio,"_ I heard Danus charm the last one.

We stood back and admired our work. They didn't look any different, but from what I could tell, they were going to be quite the show. Zaria asked us if we had turned our wands the right number of times, so that they would all react to the spell at the right time. We had. I then looked down at my watch. "Crap! I'm going to be late for practice!" I exclaimed as I ran out.

I made it to the Quidditch field a minute late, but luckily Day didn't mind. "As long as you're not blowing up the school, it's fine," he reassured me before mounting his broom and flying off.

"You have no idea," I muttered and did the same.

At long last, Halloween came. The entire day was spent going to class and waiting impatiently for the feast. Even the students who weren't involved in our amazing prank were looking forward to it, but for a different reason. They had no idea what we had in plan for them. The truth was that Zaria hadn't exactly told us what the spell would make the pumpkins do, and Janet was probably the only one who knew.

And if you're wondering how that History of Magic test went, I'd better not tell you.

At the feast, we were happily eating all the food and candy. We were so excited, in fact, to be allowed to eat all this sugar, that we almost forgot about the prank. It was my first year celebrating Halloween at Hogwarts, so it was quite special to me. Mel and Teddy had told me what it was like, but now I was living it, and that was different, in a good way. Trust me, a very good way…

Suddenly, I felt someone kick me under the table. I looked up from my plate to see Zaria, staring intensely at and pointing at Marius, who was sitting next to me, with her head. I got what she meant, it was time. I nudged him with my elbow and then motioned to Zaria. He understood too. Meanwhile, Danus notified Janet and Dominic. We stopped eating and stood still, waiting.

A scream ripped the air. Partly acting and partly not, we turned around. Many people were pointing at the pumpkins. They were changing. Their faces were getting scarier and scarier. I turned around to look at Zaria. What the fuck? She had told us that this wouldn't creep everyone out.

"Just watch," she mouthed.

I went back to looking at the pumpkins. They seemed to be at their scariest right now. And just when I thought it was going to get worse… BOOM! The pumpkins exploded and candy fell to the floor from the sky.

Everyone cheered and began trying to catch as much as they could. I laughed and I heard Zaria whisper, "Told you so," to Danus. I looked at the Professors and they seemed to have an amused smile on their faces. When everyone was done celebrating and cheering, McGonagall got up from her chair.

"This was quite the surprise," she said "I believe that none of us expected this and it was a very appropriate way to celebrate. The Hospital Wing will be open tomorrow for all of you whose teeth hurt."

We laughed. We were eating some candy, when we heard a cough from behind us. Zaria and Danus, who were sitting next to each other, were staring behind us wide-eyed. I turned around and there stood the Headmistress.

"I am not going to pretend that I don't know it was you," she said to us "I do not, however, approve of you sneaking into the storage room where the pumpkins are kept. Five points are taken from your House because of that. And Fifteen points are given to you for amusing us."

She walked away and back to the staff's table. "Didn't she technically give us those points back now with a bonus?" Janet asked me. I nodded. This year was far from detention worthy!


	10. Blushing

**I was writing in French instead of doing the work we'd been assigned today. My friend was reading over my shoulder and when I stopped to actually do the work the teacher had given us, she said, "Don't stop! I want to know what happens next!" so thanks, buddy. Also thanks to DSCWin for your supportive reviews on every chapter!**

The joy from Halloween was soon replaced by anxiety and nervousness for the Quidditch match. We were facing Hufflepuff and that was another reason for me being nervous, Teddy was an amazing Seeker. My friends were all nice and supportive, trying to get me to calm down, and it _was_ helping, just not enough.

"You'll do great!" Danus told me the morning of the match.

"You're going against Hufflepuff and you dare be nervous?" Marius added, slapping my back.

I smiled, but didn't have the heart to tell him that that was what was making me nervous.

At the Great Hall, Mel came by to wish me good luck, whispering that she would be cheering for my team, but not to tell Teddy. I smiled at her and promised. Teddy and his friends caught up with me as we were leaving. "Don't go easy on me," he said, giving me a high five.

"I wasn't planning on doing so," I answered. He winked and walked off with the rest of his team.

In the changing rooms, we changed into our green robes. I felt great wearing them for a competition. Sure, I'd worn them to practice all the time, but this was different. It gave me a responsibility, I had to do well so we would beat the badgers and win the House Cup. We'd lost last year, so this was very important.

We were given a few extra minutes to warm up and relax before the actual match. As I was calming myself down in a corner, I heard Melody Bluebird calling me. "Odny, someone's here to see you," she said.

I got up and went to the entrance to see Janet. What was she doing here? "I saw how stressed out you were during breakfast," she told me "I just wanted to come by and make sure you're alright."

Even though Janet had quite the reputation of being the female version of a bad boy, which she was most of the time, she was really nice once you got to meet her. And since we'd opened up to each other a lot last year, I had seen that friendlier side of her often. Now was one of those times. "Thanks," I said to her.

Before I could say anything else, she'd scooped me into a hug. I was surprised to say at least. "I believe in you," she said "And I know you'll do amazing!"

When she let go of me I could feel my cheeks burning. Way to hide your crush, Danny! I looked at her and thought that I saw the slightest pink on her face, but it must have just been the light.

"Excuse me, you have to leave," Hydrus Boxer, Jessica Boxer's brother, said to Janet. I looked at my watch, the match would start any minute now.

"Of course," Janet replied and left. I felt much more ready to play now than before.

I clutched Dominic's broom tightly as we walked out of the changing rooms and into the court. "Alright team," Day said loudly "Let's show them what we've got!" He mounted his broom and flew out. We cheered and did the same.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I heard the announcer, a fourth year Gryffindor named Ed, say into his microphone "Welcome to the first Quidditch match of this year. I hope you're all excited! Today's match is Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. Let's see how these two complete opposites will play!

"Of course, we have bright players on both teams. Starting with Hufflepuff: Captain Sarah Grace, Chasers Kate Velca, Aria Olorin and Eren Sanders, Beaters Sarah Grace and Dahlia Isha, Keeper Rey White and Seeker Teddy Lupin.

"Now Slytherin. We have Captain Alexander Day, Chasers Alexander Day, Melody Bluebird and Morris Pintkling. Beaters Calliope Shulge and Hydrus Boxer. Keeper Jasmine Wetherell and Seeker Danny Odny."

We flew around the court, showing off our manoeuvres. I saw Teddy and Rey in their canary yellow robes. I tried to fly safe, to spare any damage from Dominic's broom until I got my own one. I couldn't wait to get one, I would do all kinds of cool stuff on it. I would need a lot of savings though, brooms aren't exactly cheap.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch ordered.

Sarah Grace and Day landed on the ground and shook hands. I could have sworn I saw the tiniest tension between that handshake. "Play nice and fair," the Quidditch instructor said and they nodded, then flew back to their teams as she brought out the balls.

She undid the straps that held the Bludgers down and they shot into the air. We didges them, in case we got injured before the match even began. Merlin, that would be horrible!

Next came the Snitch. I stared at it intensely as if was released into the air, fluttering far away, as if it would help me in finding it again later. _'Wouldn't it be amazing the catch the Snitch right after the match starts?'_ I thought.

"Madam Hooch has released the Quaffle," Ed said, bringing me back to the real world. The game had started.

I flew up as high as I could. Teddy had given me some secret advice that no one was to know about on Seeking. He said that his uncle Harry had taught him and he had been one of the best Seekers in Hogwarts. It was a bit hard for me to imagine Harry as a Quidditch player, but I guess that goes for everyone who has graduated and now has a job. I suppose that if Mel or Janet told me that their parents had played Quidditch while they were in school I wouldn't believe them, Janet especially.

So, Teddy had told me that a good method is to fly above the court, that way you get less of a chance to get hit by a Bludger, oversee the match and keep an eye out for the Snitch at the same time. I could see what he meant now. Sure, I'd done this in all my practices, but now it was a real match, my first real match, and I could see exactly what he had wanted to tell me.

I saw Morris Pintkling, another new addition to the team, grab the Quaffle and fly off with it. The Hufflepuff Chasers were immediately on his tail, but he zoomed past them like a lightning bolt. Then, he abruptly turned his broom around and tossed it to Day, who caught it. Our Captain was with no doubt one of the best Chasers currently in Hogwarts.

Day carried the red ball all the way to the Hufflepuff hoops, the opposite team catching up to him. Just when I thought that they were going to catch him and that he was being reckless, he threw it to Melody Bluebird who then forcefully threw it through the hoops. It pained me to see Rey miss it, as I liked her, but I was glad we'd scored.

"Don't mind, White," Velca called out to the dark-haired girl "You'll get the next one." She nodded and focused on the match.

The Quaffle was given to Hufflepuff, as we'd been the ones to score. Aria Olorin was the one to grab it first. She flew away instantly, though a bit too instantly. The rest of her teammates didn't have enough time to catch up to her, but mine did. Day bumped into her, causing her to drop the Quaffle. But just when I thought that Bluebird was going to catch it, Velca did. I groaned.

Day seemed just as frustrated as I was, but chased after Velca. She tossed it to Olorin who was back in the air after previously dropping the Quaffle. Olorin caught it. Shulge aimed a bludger at her, but it scraped past her, narrowly avoiding her. I groaned in frustration.

Now both Pintkling and Day were catching up to the Hufflepuff, but she took a risky shot and threw it at the hoops. Wetherell dashed to catch it, but that was what caused her to miss it. The Quaffle went right through the left hoop as soon as she realised her mistake.

She kicked the air in annoyance as the Hufflepuffs celebrated.

For about another twenty minutes, the game went on like this. We scored, they scored, we scored again, they scored again etc. etc. It had become obvious that we were both two very strong teams. It all depended on who caught the Snitch now.

I peeked at Teddy, who was staring the at the court looking concentrated. I tried not to linger for too long, because he might realise I was looking and bluff me while going after the real Snitch.

Suddenly, I got an amazing idea. Maybe I could bluff _him_! I could buy my team some time and just dive down, pretending to have seen the little golden ball. That way, he would just follow me down and I might even see the real Snitch on the way. I hadn't done this before, but it was worth a shot if it meant we might win.

I waited for the right moment in order to look convincing before zooming down. I heard Ed saying, "Looks like Odny has caught sight of the Snitch. Good moment too, with Slytherin leading by 10 points at 70-60. Lupin is now after him. Let's see who will make it first."

I smirked. I didn't even have to look behind me to see Teddy following me. Partly because I could feel the air coming from his broom and I could hear the Hufflepuffs calling his name from the stands. Little did they know that I was about to kick his ass.

I tried to keep it going for the most time possible that would still make sense. When I thought that that was nearly over, I looked up. I couldn't believe my luck, for there was the Snitch, floating right above us. Now I had two choices, either lead Teddy a bit further away or make a run for it. But he was catching up to me and I was going to run out of stamina if it kept going like this.

I went for the second option. I flew up and from what I understood it only took him a moment to realise what was going on. He had very good reflexes, something that proved to be annoying right now.

Before I knew it, we were right next to each other. I couldn't tell if one was ahead of the other. We both had one hand outstretched and one gripping our brooms tightly. "Sorry to ruin your first game, Danny," he said with an evil grin "But I'll be the one to catch the Snitch this time."

"I don't think so, you canary," I said and sped up just a bit.

It was all I needed. Out of the blue, something small and metal was on my hand. I peeked into my fist and there it was, the Snitch. I have to admit that I had never thought the feeling of catching it would be this good.

"Odny caught the Snitch!" Ed was screaming into the microphone while the Professors behind him were covering their ears "Odny caught the Snitch! The game is over. Slytherin won."

Our fellow snakes as well as everyone who was supporting us got up and started cheering. I smiled as I held up my hand, still clutching the Snitch. My teammates circled me, slapping my back, ruffling my hair, which I did not enjoy, and giving me high-fives.

"Good job, Dan!" Day said to me. I cringed at the name and made a mental note to hex him if he ever called me that again.

The Hufflepuffs exited the pitch with a look of defeat on their face, Teddy and Rey still gave me a thumbs up, though. The good thing with having Teddy as a friend and Rey not minding me was that even though they were sad they had won the match, they were happy for me. I would be too if it had been the opposite.

We went back to the changing rooms and got into our regular robes. We congratulated each other again and Day announced that we were going to be celebrating our victory in the common room later that night.

Mel was the first one there when we got out. She ran to me and engulfed me in a hug. I started worrying about breathing after some time but she let go of me at last. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

We talked for a bit until my Slytherin friends showed up and she had to go. I dreaded the day they would have to meet her. Danus hugged me, Marius congratulated me, Dominic thanked me for not ruining his broom, Zaria told me that it had been a good match and Janet said, "You should that half-blood Lupin what Seeking is supposed to be like. You were great, congratulations."

I felt that stupid blush make its appearance again. Damn!

 **Totally me and my crush. I swear, every time I talk to them they must think I'm afraid because I blush slightly and sound nervous. Ugh! But review if you want to, good, bad, it's all welcome!**


	11. Secret Santa

**I'm so sorry this took so long but I've been so busy I could barely breathe and the chapter I was writing didn't want to get written :( But thanks for waiting and not giving up on me, guys. I will try my best to update weekly again.**

It was obvious to all of us how far this year was going. Just like last year, it was almost Christmas before I even knew it. A month before Christmas, we were all planning what we were going to do. Last year I had promised Mel that I would spend Christmas with her and her family this time, as last year I'd already made plans with my friends.

The fact that I was going to leave disappointed the rest of the group who wanted to spend the holidays here like we had the year before. It had been really fun, it was true, but a promise is a promise and it would upset Mel if I cancelled our plans, she'd been so excited for this.

Slughorn had other plans for us, though.

Apart from the usual Slug Club meeting he was going to hold on Christmas, which I was glad to avoid, he also had something planned for Slytherin in general.

One day, he gathered us in the common room to, "make an important announcement." Knowing him, it was probably that some student from a well-known family had made a potion that was considered difficult in his class and that showed how talented he is as a teacher, but also how talented the kid is too.

There were never all of us in the common room, so it was definitely a bit cramped. But somehow we managed to fit and that was a relief. It was enough that we had to listen to Slughorn talking, we could at least do it comfortably.

"My dear students," the potions master said as he entered the room and stood where we could all see him "I have an announcement to make to you."

"Just get this over with," Janet groaned.

I nodded and mimed shooting myself. She raised an eyebrow at me as if asking, "What the hell?" I waved it off, "Don't mind." At times I forgot she didn't get the Muggle references I'd grown up with.

"I have noticed that we aren't as close as a House," Slughorn continued, oblivious to our conversation "So that's why I wanted to do something that will help us unite once again. This is a Muggle custom, but I believe it will help us all get to know each other. It's called… secret Santa."

I cringed. A couple of years ago we had tried doing secret Santa at the orphanage and it hadn't been the best experience. Mel had drawn my name, which I now understand was my accidental magic. I had gotten her too, so everything had been alright, but it had still been a mortifying experience.

So I did not want to do this any time soon, but apparently we weren't as united as we should be as a House. I don't know why Slughorn thought that, he had seen how well we worked together as a Quidditch team. We'd beaten the school's best team for the past two years for Merlin's sake! And yet we still weren't a real team.

"Sir, does Professor Snape approve of this?" a third year girl asked. I hadn't thought of that, actually. She was right. Professor Snape, our second Head of House, and the only one in his senses if you ask me, was a logical man. Had Slughorn asked for his permission to do this?

"Professor Snape doesn't need to know everything, now, does he?" Slughorn replied with a smile.

Obviously, he hadn't.

"So, let me tell you what we'll do," the Head of House continued enthusiastically "I want all of you to write your names on a piece of parchment. Not a very big one, we only need your name. Both name and surname please. Hurry up, hurry up."

We opened our bags and pulled out some parchment, a quill and ink. Quickly, I wrote down my name with the most legible handwriting I could. Ever since I was little I had been told that I had very messy handwriting and that hardly no one could read it. They had told me many times to try and improve it, but screw them.

 _Danny Odny_

Did I need to write anything else? At the orphanage we'd had to write the dorm number as well so that the ladies looking after us could gather them all and send them to our dorms as a surprise. I didn't know anyone who ever believed in Santa Claus there other than Mel so it had been an interesting surprise.

I looked at Janet who, with her neat and beautiful writing, had scribbled her name as well. She had only written that too, so I guessed it was the right thing.

"Next," Slughorn ordered "Fold that piece of parchment in half like this." He commanded a piece of parchment and wrote his name on it too, before demonstrating how we had to fold it. "And now in half again," he said and did so. We copied him. It must have been a funny sight, an entire House doing the same thing synchronised.

When we were done, Slughorn lifted his wand. _"Accio goblet,"_ he commanded. A goblet came flying out of his office and into his hand. He showed it to us. "I want you all, one by one, to come and put your pieces of parchment into this goblet, and when that's over everyone will draw someone else's name and has to get that person a present," he said "Get in a line everyone."

So, that's what we did. We stood one behind the other in a line in front of where Slughorn was standing. Only that there were so many of us that it was less of a line and more of a queue. It literally went all around the room!

When we got to the front, we dropped our name into the goblet. Slughorn had cast a spell on it so that it would fit all of them. From what we understood he was going to put his name in it as well and we all had our fingers crossed and were praying to Merlin that we wouldn't be the one to draw his.

When that was all over, he jiggled the goblet around, "to stir them up." He even made a stupid dance and I just wanted him to fall into a hole and die.

"Now, let's get into a line again," he said after he was finally (FINALLY!) done "I will draw the first name." He put his hand in the goblet and pulled out a piece of parchment. He read it and nodded contently. Please let it not be me! "Don't tell anyone who's name you got," he said as he put his in his pocket "And if you get your own name, put it back and draw another one."

We formed our little queue again. I saw as one by one my classmates drew little pieces of parchment out of the goblet and studying them after putting them in their pockets or in their bags. Some had to put theirs back, but most of them got someone else's name. I could see that they weren't really sharing them with anyone. I was probably going to tell Janet. Unless I was so lucky that I drew her name. I was going to get her a Christmas present regardlessly, but I wouldn't mind getting her another one too.

It was my turn. I put my hand into the cup and kept saying, "Janet, Janet," in my head. I pulled a piece of parchment out. I took a deep breath before opening it, hoping that my accidental magic would have kicked in again. I unfolded it. My heart sank.

 _James Candon_

What was up with me and him this year? Why did I always end up with the weirdo? Annoyed, I stepped out of the line, waiting for Janet who was the one after me. I stuffed the parchment in my pocket angrily. I couldn't swap with someone, could I? But then again, who would want to have to buy a present for James Candon? No one knew him other than his own family.

As I thought that, though, it reminded me of last year. One time during a Slug Club meeting, Slughorn had told everyone that his mother was dead and the boy hadn't seemed very well. I stopped thinking badly about him, reminding myself that out of everyone in this House, perhaps I was the one who could relate to him the most. So in the end, maybe it wasn't that bad that I had to guy him a gift. It could have been worse.

Janet walked up to me, still reading her parchment. She seemed confused, maybe she didn't know the one whose name she'd drawn. "Do you know who Dimitri Talbot is?" she asked me.

That must be the name of the person she has to buy a present for. I had never heard of him, so I shrugged. Zaria, who just so happened to be walking by us, had. "Dimitri Talbot?" she asked as she entered the conversation "Isn't he the seventh year who chews his quill in every lesson? The one who chewed one so hard it broke? And then he swallowed the piece that broke off?"

Janet paled. I had never felt this bad for my friend. At the same time, I wanted to laugh too, as she looked absolutely hilarious. "So, what are you gonna get him?" I asked her, trying to hide my smirk.

"A metal pen," she said. It was hard to tell if she was joking or if she was being serious.

"Do they even exist?" I asked, just to be sure.

"I'll find out," she replied. Merlin, she probably _was_ being serious.

The last person pulled a name out of the goblet and Slughorn sent it back to his office.

"That was lovely," he said "I am sure you will all think of something creative to give to your secret Santa. Don't get something too flashy and expensive, but don't go around buying people feathers. And for that lucky person who drew my name, I am almost out of crystallised pineapple." He winked at the crowd and left the room.

I guess I could have had it worse. I could have drawn Slughorn's name, or the name of a boy who eats quills. Instead, I'd gotten the shy boy from my dorm. I guess I could just get him a book or something.

 **Have you ever done Secret Santa? I do it every year and it's fun but at the same time it takes me so long to decide what to get the person whose name I draw.**


	12. Author's Note

**Hey guys.**

 **So, I really didn't want to do this, but I think it's come to the point where I can't put it off anymore.**

 **A lot has been going on in my life recently. It's my last year in school and I have to study hard to get good marks so I can get into the University I want to, which is one of the most difficult ones to get into where I live, and I'm a pretty dumb person (low self-esteem too) and I just can't find the time to write as much as I want to. In addition to this, my grandpa died recently, my grades have been pretty sucky and I hate myself for it and just today my little kitten who's barely a year old got very sick and had to go through a very dangerous surgery and might not survive. She's just the sweetest thing and loves everyone and is my favourite by far, so the thought of her dying makes me want to cry. I think that that was my breaking point and I can't postpone this anymore no matter how much I want to.**

 **I know I've missed a lot of update dates and you have very right to be mad at me. I just really want my dreams to come true, which is such a childish thing to say, but I really** ** _really_** **do. And, unfortunately, those dreams will only be able to be true if I get into that University.**

 **I'm putting this story to the side for a while. Not exactly a hiatus, I will update when I can but they will be very far apart. And I'm so sad I have to do this because this is when the interesting stuff will happen, the real plot of this book. But I'm getting very anxious and I need to focus 100% on my studies and this is not helping. So, this is what I have to do and I am incredibly sorry. I hate it when a story is incomplete or updates so rarely that I forget the storyline, and I never thought I'd do this, but I have to. I will finish it, just not right now.**

 **Anyway, sorry about my rant. I promise to update whenever I can, but I can't promise that it will be weekly anymore, though that kind of stopped a while ago, didn't it? Sorry.**

 **I hope you'll all be happy and that you won't forget about me. I know I won't forget you. I think about you guys every day and it breaks my heart when I think you might be waiting for this story to update and it doesn't.**

 **Love you all and I'll see you again as soon as I can!**

 **-Elektra Elentari**


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